About LEADTOOLS Deployment Licenses
To deploy LEAD's intellectual property with End User Software, customers must purchase a “Deployment License”. The deployment license terms and conditions vary depending on whether the application developed with the LEAD SDK (“End User Software”) is being used internally by the customer’s employees, is being hosted by the customer for use of third parties, or is being commercially distributed to end users. For more information on deployment types, refer to Deployment Types.
The Licensing Dialog
When users download an evaluation version or purchase a development license of a LEAD SDK, they will receive a temporary license file that allows them to install and develop with the LEAD SDK. Users will notice that when compiling an application or running LEADTOOLS demos, a dialog box will occasionally appear to remind the them of the deployment license requirement and that the temporary license file will expire. For example:
LEAD uses this licensing dialog so that customers can begin programming right away without having to wait for management or legal department approval of the required licensing documentation. This allows developers to begin their projects while management works with LEAD's licensing department to finalize deployment licensing documents and procure licenses. Once the temporary license file has expired, the toolkit will display an "expired" message and will cease to function. After the expiration date, the developer must use a Release License File for the LEAD SDK to function.
Steps for Obtaining a Release License File
1. Complete a Deployment License Application form and submit it to LEAD.
2. Obtain a Deployment License Fee Quotation from LEAD or an authorized reseller. (If you are an ISV/OEM commercially deploying your software or are hosting the End User Software, either locally or in the cloud, for use by your customers (e.g., SaaS), LEAD will send you a Commercial Deployment License Agreement for execution).
3. Purchase applicable Deployment Licenses and, if applicable, send in the signed Commercial Deployment License Agreement.
4. Upon completion of 1-3, LEAD will provide the applicant with a Release License File with developer key, a License Certificate for the deployment licenses purchased, and a counter-signed copy of the Commercial Deployment License Agreement, if applicable.
Deployment License Application: Commercial Deployment License
To obtain a Release License File to deploy LEAD SDK intellectual property with the End User Software, the customer must first complete a Deployment License Application form. The purpose of this form is to identify the type of deployment license required by the customer, the various LEAD modules that will be deployed, and to establish the pricing and other terms and conditions for the deployment license. Completion of the application is required as a condition of obtaining a deployment license and Release License File. Once LEAD has processed the Deployment License Application, LEAD will provide the customer with a Deployment License Fee quotation covering the Deployment Licenses that the customer needs to purchase.
Purchasing Deployment Licenses and Commercial Deployment License Agreements
Deployment Licenses for internal deployments must be purchased before the customer can receive a Release License File with a developer key. Once a customer has received an official quotation from LEAD, deployment licenses may be purchased with a valid credit card, or the customer may issue a purchase order, provided the customer has been approved for credit purchases by LEAD’s accounting department. Certain products require the purchase of a server deployment license as a condition for obtaining the development license, e.g., LEADTOOLS Pro Suite, LEADTOOLS Medical Imaging Suite, and LEADTOOLS Document Imaging Suite, since by definition, the components included with the products must be deployed to a web server. If a customer is an ISV/OEM selling End User Software or is hosting the End User Software for use by the customer's customers, deployment licenses may be purchased at the prices and in the manner set forth in the Commercial Deployment License executed by the customer and LEAD.
Grant of Deployment License: Release License File and Unlock Instructions
When a customer has completed the Deployment License Application form, purchased the necessary deployment licenses, and, if applicable, executed and returned a Commercial Deployment License Agreement, LEAD will provide the customer with a Release License File, a developer key, and the instructions to eliminate the licensing dialog. Note that the Release License File and developer key is different depending on whether the deployment licenses are for deployment to desktops or servers, so customers need to identify the correct type of deployment licenses that they need while completing the Deployment License Application and purchasing the deployment licenses. Once the customer has received the Release License File and developer key, the customer will be able to deploy the End User Software into production without any nag messages or expiration notices. Typically, utilizing the Release License File and developer key will only take a couple of minutes. Deployment licenses purchased by the customer for internal deployments and hosted service deployments will be evidenced by a License Certificate, which will identify the type of deployment license, the quantity of deployment licenses granted, and the duration of the licenses.
NOTE: LEAD packages SDKs so that all product sets are enabled in the installation while the license dialog/watermark is present. Therefore, if the licensing dialog/watermark is being displayed, substantially ALL FEATURES of the entire product line will be enabled. When the customer utilizes the Release License File and developer key provided by LEAD, only the features that are included in the specific product(s) that customer has licensed will be available. The features of products that are not under the license will be locked. Customers may consult the help file or contact the LEAD sales department to determine which product configuration includes the functions they plan to use.
Record Keeping and Reporting
The Commercial Deployment License Agreement requires that an ISV/OEM customer commercially distributing software must account to LEAD by sending a quarterly report indicating the number of deployments the customer made during each quarter. LEAD will email customer the necessary deployment reporting forms on a quarterly basis, well in advance of the due date for reporting. The form is very simple to complete and the customer can respond by email, fax, or mail. For internal deployment licenses and hosted service deployments, an annual deployment activity report is required to determine that the customer has the appropriate number of deployment licenses for its install base of End User Software. Deployment License Fees for any Deployments of End User Software that the customer deploys without first purchasing the appropriate Deployment License will be billed at a default rate equal to LEAD’s standard pricing for quantity one (1) of the applicable type of Deployment License. Volume discounts for Deployment Licenses are only available for Deployment Licenses that are purchased prior to deployment by the customer. LEAD does offer site licenses and enterprise licenses for some products. With site licenses and enterprise licenses, the customer is not required to report deployment quantities or pay per copy deployment fees. The cost of site licenses and enterprise licenses are quoted on a case-by-case basis, considering factors such as an estimated number of users, the functionality involved, and the customer’s revenue model. To inquire further about site and enterprise deployment license options, please send an email to oemsales@leadtools.com or call our sales department at +1-704-332-5532.
License Termination and Suspension
Customers must comply with the reporting requirements described above to maintain their license. If a customer does not submit deployment reports, the customer's account will be flagged, and the customer will not be eligible to receive technical support or upgrades. If a customer is not actively deploying the application, the customer can request suspension of the reporting requirement. In addition, a customer can also voluntarily terminate license and be relieved of the obligation to complete the deployment reports going forward by certifying that the customer is not developing nor deploying software that uses LEADTOOLS.
Duration of Deployment Licenses
Unless otherwise stated in a duly executed License Certificate, Deployment Licenses for Internal Deployments and Hosted Service Deployments are valid for one (1) year and may be renewed on an annual basis. Deployment Licenses for Commercial Deployments will have the duration set forth in the applicable Commercial Distribution License Agreement executed by LEAD and the customer.
New Versions
For commercial deployments, if a new major version of the LEAD SDK is included in an upgrade to the End User Software, each user that is upgraded will require an upgrade deployment license. The upgrade deployment license price is 40% of LEAD’s standard price of the deployment license for the new version of the LEADTOOLS SDK for the applicable quantity of licenses being purchased. Any prepaid deployment licenses that have not been deployed at the time the customer licenses a major new version of the LEAD SDK will be carried forward and may be applied to deployments of the End User Software made with the major new version of the LEAD SDK. A customer is under no obligation to update previously deployed user or client licenses with the new version of the End User Software that includes the major new version of the LEAD SDK. Customers also have the option of purchasing annual maintenance for their deployment licenses. Annual maintenance for a deployment license is priced at 20% per year and entitles the customer to upgrade the deployment license with any new versions released during the maintenance period. No additional deployment licensing is required for minor version updates. For internal deployments and hosted services, the annual deployment license fee includes maintenance, so a customer is licensed to deploy major new versions of LEADTOOLS to the customer's validly licensed deployments as long as the customer continues to renew the licenses.
For more information, refer to:
Deployment License Application
